Humidifying apparatus



March 28, 1944. D. GEssNER HUMIDIFYING APPARATUS Filed July 31, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 28, 1944. D. Gl-:ssNER HUMIDIFYING 'APPARATUS Filed Jury s1. 1942 2 sheets-sheet 2 and thus become full weigh Patented Mar. 28, 1944 HU'MIDIFYING APPARATUS David Gessner, Worcester, Mass.; Gertrude C.

Gessner, executrix of said David Gessner, deceased, assgnorto David Gessner Company,` Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 31, 1942, Serial No. 453,143

3 Claims.

This invention relates to the finishing of woolen or worsted cloth. Such cloth, after prolonged exposure to usual atmospheric conditions, will contain or acquire a normal percentage of moisture. If the cloth is sold directly after deliverb' from a finishing press and with less than the normal moisture content, it may be penalized as light-weight, although it will shortly thereafter absorb additional moisture from the atmosphere Such absorbed moisture is commonly termed regain To avoid such undeserved penalties for temporary light weight due to low moisture content, it is desirable to restore the normal moisture content to the cloth promptly after iinishing and before sale thereof.

It is the general object of my invention to provide improved apparatus for humidifying nished cloth and for providing a normal moisture content therein.

A further object is to provide humidifying apparatus which may be operated continuously on full open-width cloth.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved humidifying apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, looking in the direction of the arrow 2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional plan View, taken substantially along the line 3--3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged front elevation of the humidifying apparatus, partly in section;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail, taken along the line 5 5 in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a partial plan View, showing a detail of a draft roll.

Referring to the drawings, my improved humidifying apparatus comprises a rectangular casing IIJ enclosing a humidiiying chamber H and having a slotted opening Il through which the finished cloth C enters said chamber and a corresponding slotted opening l2 through which the cloth C is delivered from said chamber.

A series of draft rolls I4 are disposed adjacent the ends, bottom and top of the chamber H and these rolls are all driven at uniform surface speed by any suitable driving connections, such as the sprocket I5 and continuously moving chain I6 shown in Fig. 6. A corresponding number of idler 0r guide rolls 20 are mounted in a circle adjacent and concentric with a fixed drum 2 I The path of the cloth through the humidifying chamber H is clearly shown in Fig. 4, from which it will be apparent that a considerable length of time is required for any portion of cloth to pass through the machine, and also that avery large cloth surface is at all times subject to the humidifying effect.

The drum 2l (Figs. 3 and 4) is fixed to the iront and back walls of the casing I0 and is preferably divided at its center by a partition 22. The drum 2l has longitudinal external ribs 25, corresponding in number to the guide rollsl 20 and extending outward between each pair of adjacent guide rolls. These longitudinal ribs '25 are hollow, as shown in Fig. 5, and are provided with 'longitudinal slots 25 at their outer edges through which moistened air or mist may be delivered to the chamber H Within the casing Ii).

The moistened air is supplied from a spray chamber 3i), mounted at the entrance end of the apparatus and provided with spray pipes 3| and 32 and with a plurality of alternately spaced spray nozzles 33. Atmospheric air is drawn into the spray chamber through controlled openings 35 in the outside wall of the chamber 3i.

After passing through the spray chamber, the moistened air or mist is delivered through ducts 44 and 4I to the opposite outer ends of the drum 2 I, from which it is discharged to the humidifying chamber H through the slotted ribs 25. Fans 4lla may be provided for accelerating the inward movement of the moistened air, which fans may be driven by pulleys 4N or in any other convenient manner.

After passing through the humidifying chamber H, the air leaves the casing IU through openings 44 in the top of the casing, which openings are preferably screened and communicate with a duct 45 which is vented to the atmosphere.

A cloth receiver or scray 50 (Fig. 1) is preferably provided to receive the cloth C as it comes from the iinishing press. A certain amount of cloth is allowed to accumulate in folds in the scray 5i), thereby relieving the initial tension on the cloth before it enters the humidifying chamber H.

The cloth is then drawn through the machine by the successive driven draft rolls i4. It will be noted that the moistened air is delivered between each pair of adjacent passes of cloth and that the air must pass through the meshes of the fabric in every case to reach the discharge openings 44 and duct 45. In this way the cloth is effectively humidied and the desired regain is provided.

The amount of regain may be' regulated by varying the amount of moisture supplied by the pipes 3| and 32 and also by varying the speed of the draft rolls I4, which speed determines the length of time that the cloth is subject to the humidifying action,

By the use of my improved humidifying apparatus in conjunction with a finishing press such as is shown in my prior Patent #2,235,495, issued March 18, 1941, I am able to deliver the finished cloth with the normal moisture content which it would have after prolonged exposure to the atmosphere. For special purposes, any other desired moisture content may be obtained.

Having thus described myinvention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise tharn as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. Cloth-humidifying apparatus comprising a casing, means to guide a piece of cloth through said casing in a series of adjacent loops `open at their inner ends and having approximately radial and approximately parallel .passes extending to ward and away from the center of said casing, a transversely extending air conduit adjacent said open inner ends, a separate elongated nozzle device to d eliver moistened air from said conduit direct to the open inner end of each loop, and means to discharge said air from the space in said casing outside of said loops, said air passing through said cloth in escaping from said cas ing.

2. Cloth-humidifying apparatus comprising a casing, means to guide a piece of cloth through said casing in a series of adjacentloops open at their inner ends and 'having approximately radial and approximately parallel passes extending toward and away from the center of said casing, a transversely extending air conduit adjacent said open inner ends, said inner ends being disposed in a circumferentially spaced concentric series, a cylindrical airconducting drum adjacent said open inner ends, a separate elongated nozzle device to deliver moistened air from said drum direct to the open inner end of each loop, and means to discharge said air from said casing, said air passing through said cloth in escaping from said casing.

3. 'Cloth-humidifying apparatus comprising a casing, a drum fixed in said casing and extending from` side to side thereof, a plurality of driven draft rolls mounted in spaced relation adjacent the sides of said casing, a plurality of guide rolls mounted adjacent said drum and in a series concentric therewith, said draft and guide rolls disposing said cloth in adjacent approximately radial and approximately parallel passes, and means to deliver moistened air to said drumsa`id drum having a plurality of spaced external 1ongitudinal Vhollow ribs slotted at their outer edges and constituting means to direct portions of said moistened air from said drum to the spaces between alternate pairs of cloth passes, one of said slotted ribs being provided for the space .between each alternate pair of cloth vpasses and being centrally associated therewith.

DAVID GESSNER. 

